Yellow Medicine County increases coyote bounty cap

Monday

Jan 28, 2013 at 11:14 AMJan 28, 2013 at 11:17 AM

A$10 coyote bounty enacted by the Yellow Medicine County Board from December 1 through April 1 has been so successful that the county is already approaching its $2,000 cap on coyote bounties for the year.As a result, board members agreed to add an additional $2,000 to the pot during Tuesday’s YMC Board meeting, enabling hunters to be compensated for an additional two-hundred canine bounties.

By Scott TedrickNews Editor

A$10 coyote bounty enacted by the Yellow Medicine County Board from December 1 through April 1 has been so successful that the county is already approaching its $2,000 cap on coyote bounties for the year.As a result, board members agreed to add an additional $2,000 to the pot during Tuesday’s YMC Board meeting, enabling hunters to be compensated for an additional two-hundred canine bounties.“I think the pheasants and deer bring tourists,” said commissioner Louis Sherlin, shortly before the motion to increase the bounty was unanimously passed.Despite claims from state wildlife officials that the coyote bounties are ineffective, Yellow Medicine, Chippewa and Swift counties last year became the first to offer a bounty within the state since 1965. Last year Yellow Medicine paid out $1,100 for 110 coyote bounties, which is already less than the approximately 180 bounties that have been turned in this year. Commissioners said that a mild winter with little snow cover was thought to have reduced the number of bounties that were able to be obtained last year, but that the harsher weather heading into 2013 has made for a more ideal hunting situation that the board did not want to go to waste.In other news, commissioners ok’d a preliminary architectural layout for the YMC Government Center that will allow Wold Architects and Engineers, of St. Paul, to obtain a cost estimate for the building renovation from project construction manager, Contegrity, of Little Falls.Representatives of Wold said that, with the thumbs up, they would be back in front of the board in February with drawings and specifications so that the county could then move forward to seek construction bids. The former Fagen Engineering building, located off Prentice Street behind the library and senior center, was purchased by the county in December. The county intends to move property and public services departments, as well as other select county departments and employees, over to the location where they would be able to provide a “one stop shop” for residents to obtain county services. In the near future, the county is also expected to address facility concerns at the YMC Courthouse.